New Beginning in Paradise
by Kiki102
Summary: Seventh in Love in Paradise series. A new arrival brings an unexpected challenge for Richard. Sometimes a little courage is hard to find. Oneshot.


**I have no idea if you get daddy long legs in the Caribbean or not and as I'm not exactly keen on bugs, I don't particularly want to google what bugs you do get there. So just take it with a pinch of salt and a wee bit of artistic licence. **

**XOXOXOX**

Richard tried to force down the panic rising from his stomach up his throat. A tiny part of him actually thought he might be sick with fear. He was definitely about to start hyperventilating. His palms were clammy and he was more than a little light headed. He couldn't believe this was happening.

He stared at Camille and the baby in her arms. There was no way that that tiny human being was his child. No way. Impossible. It was all a dream. Any minute now he would wake up, back in his bed with Harry staring at him with the last few months all in his mind.

"She's beautiful," Camille whispered, glancing up at him, her eyes shining. "Hello Ella."

Since the nurse had handed her daughter to her, Camille could hardly bear to tear her eyes away from their baby. Their baby. She skimmed a finger down her daughter's cheek, taking in her features. While the Ella had her mother's nose, the rest of her facial features were her father's. Speaking of whom. Camille looked towards her boyfriend again. She took in his wide eyes and square shoulders and realised that he was heading towards a full on Richard Poole panic attack.

"Come here," she said.

Taking a deep breath, Richard marched forward, only hesitating slightly before sitting down in front of her. All of the fears he'd had when Camille had told him that she was pregnant had all come flooding back to him. Camille shuffled forward until their knees touched.

"Here, hold her."

Richard shook his head violently.

"Come on, it's easy."

"What if I... drop her?" His voice was low despite them being alone, his words only meant for her ears. Admitting his fears wasn't something that came easily to Richard. Camille was the only one he ever let in. She knew how difficult it was for him to admit his fears of failure.

"You won't," she reassured him. She leaned forward and kissed his temple, then his cheek then finally his lips. "Here, put this hand under her back, and support her head with this one."

Carefully she moved their daughter across into his arms, only taking her hands away after checking with him. Feeling the weight of that tiny body in his arms, Richard felt sure his heart was going to burst out of his chest.

"I feel light headed," he said. "I'm going to faint. Quick. Take her back."

"You'll be fine," Camille smiled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and leaning her head against his shoulder. "I love you," she whispered. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For her. For everything."

XOXOXOX

Camille was worried. Richard could see she was worried and knew exactly why. She wasn't worried about Ella, well no more worried than any new mother was. Their baby was perfectly healthy and appeared to be developing fine. No, what was worrying her was Richard himself and the fact that he had yet to hold Ella since the day she was born. It wasn't that he didn't want to, he absolutely wanted to, but the fears he'd expressed to her that day kept coming back to haunt him. He was terrified of hurting Ella in some way or worst of all dropping her. That wasn't to say he had nothing to do with his daughter. On the contrary, he would happily sit opposite her as Ella sat in her chair and talk or read to her. At night, he would get up too when Camille went to feed her despite having work in the morning. It was just finding the courage and faith in himself to pick her up that he struggled with.

For someone who always spoke her mind, Camille was finding it increasingly difficult not to say anything about Richard's reluctance to hold Ella. She was trying to be patient and understanding, but after more than a week frustration was beginning to win out.

"I don't know what to do maman," she confided in her mother one afternoon. "I can see he wants to hold her but he won't."

"He'll come round. He just needs time," Catherine assured her. "You know what he's like. He likes to do things in his own time at his own pace."

Camille silently stroked her daughter's head. Her mother was right as always. She sighed. Bloody Englishmen.

XOXOXOX

Harry was scoffing down a bug that looked far too big for the little lizard when Richard arrived home.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to bite off more than you can chew?" he asked. Harry stared back at him, unblinking, legs and a wing sticking out of his mouth.

"Oh thank goodness you're back," Camille exclaimed.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Richard asked. "Is Ella okay?"

"She's fine, but Nadia's car has broken down and she needs to visit her mother in hospital."

"Nadia...? The teacher?" Camille gave him a look. "That's the other one. The veterinarian? Do you want me to drive her?"

"No, I'll go," Camille replied, relieving him of the Defender keys. "I'll be back in an hour."

She was gone before he could say a thing. Sighing Richard turned into the house where Ella was asleep in her cot.

"Looks like it's just the two of us then," he said. A rustle behind him caught his attention. Harry had successfully swallowed the bug. "Three of us," he amended.

Richard sat with a beer on the veranda as Harry attempted to capture a daddy long legs that seemed to be taunting the lizard. It was amusing to watch. Before moving to the Caribbean Richard would've said that lizard's only had one facial expression. Now he knew that not to be true. Harry was looking decidedly ticked off. Of course, it was entirely possible that Harry was unique in showing facial expressions. After all, he was pretty sure Harry was unique in being a homing lizard. The daddy long legs drifted closer and Harry lunged forward. He missed the insect completely, falling off the railing and sending up a small cloud of sand where he landed. Richard smiled. He was pleased to see the green lizard scuttling off apparently unharmed apart from his ego.

However his peace and enjoyment was broken by a wail from inside. Richard froze, hoping Ella would go back to sleep. No such luck. Camille wasn't due back for at least another twenty minutes, but considering this was the Caribbean that could be anything up to another hour. Which meant that since there was no way he could leave his daughter crying, now would be a really good time for that required shot of courage to appear. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside before the scrap of courage he had left him, pushed back the mosquito net and scooped up his daughter.

Instantly Ella's wails dropped. Her tiny fist gripped onto his tie. For the first minute Richard just stood there, frozen. Then, convinced that she was still in his arms and was in one piece, he released the breath he'd been holding.

"Right," he said. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

A pair of watery green eyes stared back at him. Ella's bottom lip trembled. He knew it was only a matter of time before she started to wail again and Richard would really rather that Camille didn't come back to find him holding their daughter for the first time and having her scream her head off. It wouldn't exactly be the confidence boost he was looking for.

XOXOXOX

When Camille arrived back she found Richard watching a repeat on Antiques Roadshow with Ella asleep in his arms. She didn't say a word, even managing to suppress her grin of delight.


End file.
